Stephen Davis Jr., the son of former Auburn running back Stephen Davis, decommitted from Auburn during the recruiting process, but decided to sign with the team in July.

The 6-foot-3, 206-pounder was expected to open the season at safety, but Malzahn decided to give the South Carolina native a try on offense first.

“He's a big, athletic guy,” Malzahn said. “We've seen him for two days. He was a very good football player, really on both sides of the ball, coming out of high school. He's still figuring out what's going on but he's a big guy that can run. After we get in pads a little bit, we'll have a little more information as far as he goes.”

The three-star athlete missed much of his senior season with a knee injury, but is fully cleared to participate in fall camp.

“I think he’ll really be able to help us,” fellow running back Kerryon Johnson said. “With him getting here later it’s just a matter of how much he can soak it. There’s a lot of details, small things that he hasn’t repped as much as the rest of us. I think he’ll definitely have a role.”

War Eagle Extra

Mike Niziolek joins the Ledger-Enquirer after spending the past three years with MLive.com. The past year he covered Eastern Michigan University athletics, including football and recruiting. He also filled in as a backup writer for the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and University of Michigan. Mike is a 2004 graduate of Michigan State.